Forgotten Bonds
by Starluff
Summary: The curse was Regina's literal revenge on the world. Everyone forgot who they used to be, and the strongest bonds were severed and kept apart. Even the previously-inseparable dwarfs.


_**Edit: Good god, I can't believe I forgot to add an A/N! Especially since it's so important... anyhow, what I want to say is: seeing as how Grumpy, Sneezy, and Sleepy are the only dwarfs with names, I took the liberty of naming the rest. So:**_

_******Doc:** Charles "Charlie" Grove_

**Bashful:** Sam Riley

**Dopey:** Theodore "Teddy" Morgan

**Happy:** Lewis Salter

_**In case you were wondering :3**_

_**This fic is set sometime soon after the curse was enacted. Since the moment the people arrived in Storybrooke, they already had their false memories and thought they had lived there all their life, right? So we can say this is set anywhere from a week to a month after the curse was first put.  
**_

_**This fic is what I think the curse in OUaT was like. It's supposedly where you 'forget all the people you love', right? And the dwarfs weren't friends in the first season, so...here it is! I feel like I wanted to say more but I can't think of anything at the moment. Just don't forget to review, 'kay?**_

_**Edit 20-Sep-2014: STUPID FFN WHY YOU DO?! It destroyed my page breaks! Again! It'd already done it, like, once or twice before. Anyway, I replaced the lines with asterisks, figuring it would just be easier more likely to stay. Sorry for any confusion!  
**_

_**Edit 28-Sep-2014: Apparently, FFN doesn't like page breaks. I tried asterisks, but they were deleted. So now I'm trying oOo. I hope **_**that**_** stays, but I'm not holding my breath at this point.**_

* * *

There were six people that Charles Grove wanted to be friends with.

Charlie didn't know those six people. He didn't know their jobs, names, nor history, yet he felt himself pulled to them. Something bugged him every time he saw one of them; like he was _supposed_ to know them but didn't. Why should he know them, he would think? What was between him and them? These questions, and many others, went around and around his head every time he saw them. He had never attempted to answer those questions, though. Every time he tried, he would find something to distract him. But now, as he sat in the corner booth of Granny's Bed and Breakfast and Cafe, with all six clearly in view, sitting around the cafe, Charlie couldn't help but try to answer those questions.

Those guys gave him a feeling of camaraderie, friendship, and the word 'brothers'. _Maybe we used to be friends_, he thought. _T__hat would make sense, __maybe__ the seven of __us__ used to be friends in, say, school. Really good friends, __too__, enough that __we__ called each others brothers, when __we ourselves have__ none of __our__ own. But seven seem__s...__wrong __somehow__...eight. __That's right, there used to be e__ight of us. __So w__hat happened to the eighth? _Charlie glared a glare good enough to make Leroy himself proud, and put a hand to his head. The information was there, somewhere in the labyrinth of his head, but he just couldn't find it. Come on, he knew, he knew, who was the eighth-

The grief hurt Charlie more than if it were a physical blow, and it shocked him. His breath caught and he went limp in his chair as tears formed in his eyes and a lump formed in his throat. The eighth - the eighth - _damn it_ but he couldn't remember his name. He caught the word "stealth" amidst the whirlwind of memories, but he couldn't remember more than that. Nevertheless, the simple emotion of grief spoke volumes. Obviously, the eighth must have died and, with his death, the friends grew apart. Charlie might not know them simply because it had been so long.

There was nothing Charlie wanted more than to become friends again. With that, he took a sip of his coffee and began to plan.

oOo

Walter was sitting in the comfiest chair at the hospital, leaning back with his eyes closed, quite relaxed. At least, until-

"Hey, Walter!" Walter jerked out of his daydream and looked around. When his eyes fell on Charlie, though, he relaxed again and smiled.

"Oh, it's just you," Walter said, with apparent relief.

"Sleeping again?" Charlie asked with a smile.

"I wasn't sleeping," Walter said honestly, "I was just daydreaming. If anything was amiss happened, I would know." Walter didn't realize at the time that Charlie's believing expression was strange and that most people just laughed; Walter only felt relief. He also felt an instant liking to the man, whom he had only ever seen from afar.

"Hey, Walter, I wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"Did we used to be friends, once upon a time? Not only you and me, but also Leroy, Sam, Lewis, Theodore, and Charlie?"

That was a strange question. Yet, oddly enough, it made sense to the sleepy bodyguard, and pieces began to fall together. He had always liked all the people that Charlie had just named, and they seemed to understand him the way nobody else did, even though they had never had hardly traded more than a few words. Saying that they used to be friends answered a lot of questions.

"Yeah, I think we did," Walter nodded slowly, "I remember."

"Say, how about we get together? All seven of us, like a class reunion or something?" Charlie asked eagerly.

"A brother's reunion?" The two smiled at each other, like they were sharing a private joke.

"Yeah. I'll send out letters or go talk to everyone, hopefully without seeming like a complete stalker. How's Saturday for you? At Granny's?"

"Sounds great!"

For the rest of the week, all Walter could think about was the reunion.

oOo

When Charlie invited Leroy to go to the reunion, he couldn't say no. He didn't know why. He had made an extra effort to appear gruff and uncaring to compensate, but he had a feeling Charlie could see right through the facade.

Leroy had always liked them. He hadn't known why, until Charlie had reminded him of their previous friendship. As many question as this answered, though, as many questions were raised. For one thing, how could he have forgotten such an important friendship? That was only the first, and then the questions became increasingly frustrating. How had they met? What did they used to do together? How had they 'grown apart'?

And who the #?& was the eighth, who had died?

But no answers were forthcoming. Finally, Leroy had to give up, and decided that perhaps some answers could be found at the reunion.

But the reunion was a disaster. Not on the outside; it seemed just fine. But Leroy couldn't get into it. He had the feeling that he should be doing something, and everyone else seemed to share his feeling and were waiting for him. Almost as if they were waiting for a leader to take the command.

But that was ridiculous.

And Leroy wanted to be. He had the oddest sensation of responsibility toward them and he wouldn't mind being the leader. But the problem was, there was _something_ keeping him from doing so. There was something almost physical holding him back, no matter how much he tried to fight it. Holding him back from reforming the bond they had previously had. After only two hours, Leroy was thoroughly depressed and he excused himself, not noticing the disappointment that followed the announcement.

Instead of going home, Leroy went to a nearby bar. He needed a drink.

oOo

"Congratulations, Sammy!" Lewis cried, lifting his bear glass high in the air.

"Thanks, guys," Sam blushed, as was his wont whenever he was the center of attention. But the embarrassment was devoid of discomfort. He felt comfortable with Lewis and Teddy.

After the reunion, the six had tried to stay together, but life kept on getting in the way. Appointments would crop up out of nowhere, people got in the way – once, even the weather had gotten between them. In the end, they had drifted apart, unable as they were to ever see each other in peace.

This was the accepted reason, the logical reason. The illogical reason that everyone thought, but kept hidden in the depths of their hearts, was that fate – or something – did not approve of them getting together. They had the feeling that if they kept on trying to push their friendship, something bad would happen. So this was their way of compromising. They were all on friendly terms, while Tom and Walter were especial friends, just as Sam, Teddy, and Lewis had managed to stay together.

Leroy didn't, though. Ever since the reunion, he was doubly gruff and hostile to them, and kept his distance. At first, Sam had thought he saw a look of disappointment or frustration on Leroy's face, but if he still felt that way, he hid it well. Now, he was just gruff, and angry all the time. Also, he seemed to be drinking a bit more than was healthy.

Back to the celebrations, though. Sam had just gotten his long-awaited promotion, so Lewis had gotten him and Teddy a round of drinks. They sat now, talking and laughing like the best of friends. It had been no more than two months since the reunion, but the three felt like they had known each other all their lives. But as much fun as Sam was having, he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. He hadn't invited Tom, Walter, or Leroy, but – nevertheless – he couldn't help but mourn their absence.

Except Leroy. Leroy wasn't absent. The gruff man was sitting at the counter, though Sam couldn't see what he was eating. Or maybe he was drinking something? In any case, Sam kept trying to work up the nerve to go invite him over, but every time he chickened out. He kept getting an excuse why he shouldn't or why it would be better if he didn't talk. If Sam knew that Leroy kept on sneaking glances at their table, he might have done so, but somehow they never looked at each other at the same time. Finally, Leroy got up to leave. Sam sighed and focused on his own table, determined not to let something like that ruin his evening. But, to his surprise, he felt a hand on his shoulder and a familiar, gruff voice say, with uncharacteristic warmth, "Congratulations."

Sam turned around quickly, a smile lighting his face without meaning to, and said, "Thanks, Gru-"

He cut himself off quickly. Grumpy? Why was he going to call Leroy 'Grumpy'? Sure, he thought he was kind of a stick in the mud, but Sam had never called him Grumpy in his head! Now, Leroy was probably going to turn around and yell, or worse, glare and walk away...

But Leroy didn't yell or glare. In fact, he didn't show any anger. But his brow creased and he frowned in, what seemed to be, confusion. Then he turned back and continued on his way out the door.

Sam, Teddy, and Lewis all watched him leave, and Sam thought that - oddly enough - they all shared his feelings of disappointment.

The evening continued on as it would have normally, and they didn't talk about Leroy.

oOo

"Here's your meds," Tom said cheerfully as he handed Henry's order over to its owner. It was late on a Tuesday and it was almost time for Tom to close the pharmacy and go home. Henry was the first customer in almost two hours. "Anything else, kid?"

"Actually, do you mind if I ask you something, Mr. Clark?" Henry asked, the picture of innocence.

"Um - sure, don't see why not," Tom replied. Henry was a good kid, and he was Regina's son. Both facts were very good reasons why he should be nice to the boy, when he usually didn't like kids.

"You, Sam, Lewis, Leroy, Charlie, Walter, and Teddy, are you seven friends?"

Tom opened his mouth to say something, and faltered. What _was_ the relationship between the seven of them? Sure, he and Walter were good friends, but everyone else? He really couldn't say. "Uh. I don't really know, to be honest with you."

"How so?"

"Well, we used to be really good friends when we were kids, but after the eighth died, we kind of grew apart. We all have jobs and responsibilities, so we haven't been able to get together for a while. Besides, I don't think Leroy really likes us anymore..." Tom trailed off, surprised he had said so much to a kid.

"Who was 'the eighth'?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said 'after the eight died'. I was asking about seven of you. Who was the eighth who died?"

Tom stopped. His brain froze. Breathing became hard. His name...his name was...he was one of his best friends, he should know his name! But, like Charlie had, he got no information, only a consuming feeling of grief. Finally, he remembered that Henry was still there. "I...don't...know," he faltered, saying even that with apparent effort.

There was a pause as Tom tried to think of something else to say to the kid. But Henry's look became thoughtful and he gave decisive nod. He waved goodbye with his hand that wasn't holding the bag of medicine (instead, it was holding a large book) as he walked through the door.

Tom watched the closed door for a long time after Henry left.


End file.
